Things That Fall
by maddiemaki
Summary: Rain falls. Tides fall. But most of all, Sokka and Toph fall for each other. /tokka fluff/
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: How this fanfic works: each chapter is centered around a thing that falls, eg rain, the sun, tears, etc. It's based off a poem I read ages ago. Some characters may be a little OOC (sorry!)**

 **Disclaimer: Since I'm writing on a website called Fanfiction, I think it's kinda obvious. But I will say it anyway: I don't own ATLA or any of these characters. Don't sue me, unless you're willing to take Doritos as payment (:**

* * *

Chapter 1: Rain

Sokka awoke to a thunderstorm.

He rolled over in his sleeping bag with a groan, peering outside the cave they were taking shelter in for the night. Outside, the pitch black sky hinted that it was midnight. The rain was so powerful, you couldn't really say it _pattered_ against the ground. More like lashed.

The dark, heady smell of petrichor hung in the air. Coupled with the increasingly stifling humidity, it made Sokka feel almost near suffocation. He scrambled out of his sleeping bag, casting a glance over at his friends. They were sleeping peacefully - Aang was snoring softly on Appa's furry back and Katara was swaddled up in her sleeping bag. Toph, however, had concealed herself in a little 'earth tent' for privacy. Sokka assumed she was dead asleep.

He crept out of the cave, stepping right into the storm. Icy drops of rain smacked against his body, stinging any exposed bit of skin. Sokka wished he had come outside with more than just his thin tunic and trousers on, but it was too late now.

Black clouds were sprawled across the sky, billowing in from the west. Though Sokka had excellent night vision, even he struggled to make out anything a foot in front of his face, it was so dark. Vaguely, Sokka wondered whether the moon was obscured by cloud, or if it was just a new moon tonight.

Cutting through the monotone of rain came a low, menacing crackle of thunder, rolling across the valley.

 _One . . . two . . . three . . ._

Sokka was interrupted from his counting of how long the thunder lasted when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He whirled around, boomerang at the ready, but he could only see the dark outline of a short person. It was impossible to tell whether they were friend or foe.

"Who are you?!" yelled Sokka, but his words were drowned out by the howling wind.

A streak of hot silver split the sky open, and for a brief second the person's face was thrown into light. It was Toph, and she was drenched and shivering.

The wind died down and Sokka heard Toph say, "F-f-followed you out-t-t." Her teeth were chattering.

Sokka swore. If he and Toph didn't get back in the cave soon, they were either going to catch hypothermia or unintentionally become electrical conductors.

"Let's go," he ordered, ushering Toph to the cave. The frigid wind had combatted the humidity in there, and with a dying campfire it was freezing. Sokka quickly set about poking it, until the fire flared with new carmine life.

Toph inched closer to the campfire, hugging herself. Her dark hair had plastered itself against her face, her lips were practically blue and her clothes dripped steadily onto the cave floor, the only sound apart from their breathing.

 _Drip, drip, drip._

Sokka sighed heavily when he realized he was just as wet as Toph. He set about wringing out his tunic, when the earthbender asked curiously, "What were you _doing_ out there?"

Sokka didn't answer. He was still shaken up - and exhilarated - by the sound of the sky thrashing and screaming. It was dulled now they were in the cave, granted, but it still filled him with a heady sensation.

"Hello? Anybody in there?" Toph rapped lightly on his head, bringing Sokka back to reality.

"Oh, um, right." He shook his head a few times to clear it, like a dog trying to get water out of its ears. "Well, we get quite a bit of rain down in the South Pole, so I guess it kind of reminds me of home. Besides," he grinned, "it was hot in here!"

Toph chuckled. "Ha, yeah I guess so." She turned away to look out the cave, seemingly unaware that her pale face was set into a scowl.

Sokka saw all of this with sharp eyes. Incredulous, he exclaimed, "You hate the rain!"

He said that so loudly that even Appa shifted slightly in his sleep.

Toph whacked him, hard, in shoulder. "Shut up! So what if I hate it? Not everyone has to like rain. _Especially_ not thunderstorms." She crossed her arms defiantly.

"Why don't you like rain?" demanded Sokka. He had always thought that rain was just a guaranteed good thing, like tart pie or otter penguins.

Toph seemed uncomfortable, but she finally snapped, "Because it messes up my sight. The rain hitting the ground sets off loads of vibrations, and I can't distinguish very well between them. It's like your eyesight being really blurry. It's better out of the rain in here, though." She winced and added, "And the noise gives me a headache."

"Oh, right . . ." Sokka had forgotten about that. Toph saw with her feet - of course thunderstorms would interfere.

There was another pause. Safe with the knowledge that Toph couldn't see him, Sokka stared concernedly at her as she snatched at the floating sparks. Her face was ashen and drawn - was she coming down with something?

Sokka grabbed his sleeping bag and proffered it to Toph. "Here, you look cold. I can go without it for a night."

Toph opened her mouth to protest, but Sokka could almost see her realizing how soft and comfy it was.

"Thanks, but won't you be cold then?" she pointed out.

Sokka tried his very best to not look freezing, even though he totally was. "I'm practically immune to the cold!" he announced, puffing out his chest.

An icy gust of wind blew through the cave. In his sopping clothes, Sokka felt like he had just taken the plunge in the South Pole ocean. He flinched, curling up into a little ball for warmth.

"S-s-see? F-fine," he managed through chattering teeth.

Toph rose her eyebrows like _mmmm-hmmm._ "You're obviously freezing, Snoozles. Why don't we just share the sleeping bag?"

Sokka stopped dead and Toph did, too, as if just realizing what she had said. There was clearly not enough room in the sleeping bag for them to have enough space between them, so they would have to be very close together.

Sokka could feel his cheeks and ears burning as Toph flushed beetroot. "Um, I didn't mean it like that."

"No, it's fine." Sokka inhaled deeply. _Okay, you can do this. It's fine. It's just Toph._ "We can share."

Toph wiggled in first and shifted around to make roughly a Sokka-sized gap next to her. Sokka squashed in beside her, both blushing scarlet.

Sokka turned over onto his side to give Toph some privacy, hoping she couldn't sense how his heart felt like it was going to beat out if his chest when their hands brushed.

Toph turned over onto her side to give Sokka some privacy, hoping he wouldn't notice how her breaths quickened when he made the slightest move.

And the two fell asleep to a thunderstorm.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Tide

Toph put her head in her hands and sighed.

They had been flying non-stop for a day now, as the countryside laid broiling in the heat below them. It was so hot, that Toph could feel her clothes and hair stick to her with sweat. She would've killed for a patch of shade, or maybe a long, cold drink of water.

Finally, after what seemed like decades but was actually only an hour, Sokka yelled out, "Stop!"

Aang pulled on Appa's reins urgently, and the sky bison stopped dead in the middle of the impossibly blue sky.

"What is it?" demanded Sugar Queen, aka Katara, a note of urgency in her voice.

A wide grin on his face, Sokka pointed downwards.

Toph could not see him do this, so she sarcastically said, "Maybe you could actually _say_ what, Meathead."

Aang answered for her. "Sea," he breathed in reverence.

Although Toph couldn't see it, below them was a wide expanse of ocean, stretching off into the distance, beckoning to them.

* * *

"One, two, three . . . GO!" called Katara.

She and Aang used waterbending to make stones skip across the waves, trying to see who would get the furthest. Unfortunately, they had to stop when the stones had bounced out of sight.

Toph dipped her hands into the sand, sifting grains through her fingertips like a waterfall in an hourglass. She licked the salt spray off her lips and leaned back, stretching luxuriously. She sucked in a deep breath of the briny air. Her amber and brown undergarments dripped with seawater from her previous dip. The sun was still beating down on her, granted, but Toph now had a cold ocean to counter it.

She felt a body plop themselves down beside her. The fact they were drumming their fingers against their leg tipped Toph off that it was Sokka. Her seismic sense was better in this sort of beach environment now she'd mastered sandbending, but everything was still a little fuzzy and muffled.

"Hi!" greeted Sokka, his wet hair dripping onto her leg. "Wanna help me make a sand Appa or a sand Momo?"

Toph raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, brilliant idea. Ask the _blind_ girl to help you with your already terrible art."

Sokka harrumphed with indignation and a silence fell between them.

As if struck by lightning, Sokka suddenly sat straight up. "I know what we can do instead!"

"Know what - hey!"

Sokka had grabbed her hand and was pulling her along after him as he raced down the beach. Toph's feet sunk into the sand, leaving deep footprints behind. Sokka kicked up spray as he ran, which soaked Toph. She squealed and splashed him back with a vengeance. Soon, they were chasing the tide, splattering each other with water.

In the daylight, it looked like the sea and sky were painted in watercolor aquamarine; shell-swirled brushstrokes and washes of cerulean.

Finally, the two came to a grinding halt. Sokka was panting heavily, and Toph knew his eyes would be lit up with excitement. She realized they were still holding hands, and quickly let go with embarrassment. Toph hoped she wasn't blushing. She wondered why Sokka's heart was beating so fast.

The whoops and cheers of Katara and Aang had faded away, and the only sound in the silence was bird-wings up ahead. Cold water lapped at Toph's toes; teal fingers greedily clutching at the sand before reluctantly retreating.

"Hey, Sokka . . ." said Toph, breaking the silence. "What color are your eyes?" It was a random question, sure, but she had had on her mind for a while now.

Sokka seemed mildly surprised by the question, but nevertheless answered, "Blue."

 _I bet they're not,_ thought Toph. _I bet they're the color of the blue sky through a broken prison wall; the color of a perfect raindrop on a blue aster; the color of a river hurrying to join the ocean. I bet you're just saying that because you don't realize any of this._

Wait, what? What was she doing, reciting sappy poetry about Meathead's eyes?! Was the heat making her delirious?

"Cool," she mumbled after a moment's hesitation.

Sokka beamed proudly. "Yeah, I am pretty cool."

"Dream on, Snoozles."

Sokka laughed, and Toph felt it on her eyelashes. She hadn't realized they were so close . . .

A seagull's scream made them both jump apart. Toph suddenly felt weirdly guilty, which was ridiculous. They hadn't been doing anything wrong, had they?

Katara's yell rang across the beach, like a furious spirit's. "SOKKA! TOPH!"

"TRYING TO WAKE THE DEAD, SUGAR QUEEN?!"

Sokka chuckled. "C'mon, we better get back before Katara bursts a blood vessel."

Toph could feel him dither for a bit, before he took her hand again. She clutched at his large, warm palm, their fingers intertwined. Her heart felt too big for her chest.

When Katara screamed for them again, Sokka whispered, "Go, go, go, go," before he took off down the beach. This time, Toph almost matched him step for step as they chased the tide all the way back.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Sun

The sun was setting.

Sokka watched it begin to sink as he sat by the campfire with his friends. Katara and Aang were laughing at something Teo had said, and Toph was picking mud out from between her toes. Haru, The Duke and Pipsqueak were just finishing up the last crumbs of their meager meal. The fire made a warm, pale red light dance across all their faces.

Sokka couldn't see how they could be so cheerful. Even though they had found sanctuary in the Western Air Temple, they had still lost the battle. And now all the adults, including his father, were shut up in prison.

He knew it was stupid, but Sokka couldn't help but blame himself. _He_ was the one who had retaliated to Azula's jibes about Suki, which had slowed them down. Maybe if he had been more stoic and focused, everyone would be safe.

Katara frowned and put down her plate. "Sokka, are you okay? You're never this quiet."

Everyone turned to stare at him appraisingly, as if noticing he was there for the first time. Sokka picked at his food, and mumbled, "I'm _fine_. Just tired."

He seemed to fool most of them, but Katara had grown up with him, and Sokka knew that she knew that when he wasn't eating or joking, it was a bad sign.

Katara shuffled closer to him and whispered in his ear, "Are you really sure you're okay? Is this about losing the battle?"

Sokka kicked moodily at the ashes of the fire. "No."

"I'm not an idiot, Sokka. And don't worry, we still have -"

"No! We don't have hope!" barked Sokka suddenly, startling everybody into silence. "We've lost, okay, Katara? Can't you get that into your head?!"

With a grunt of frustration, Sokka stood up and stormed off, silently fuming. He could hear them talking quietly behind him.

"I'll go after him."

"No, he needs some time alone."

"I don't think you should go, Katara."

A new voice cut in. "Well, then _I'll_ go."

Sokka clenched his fists. Couldn't they just leave him alone to stew in self-pity for just a few minutes? They left Aang alone when he got all angsty (heh heh - Aangsty) and ran off.

Grumpily, Sokka kicked a pillar, but his foot encountered something. He peered closer, and saw that there were holes and bits sticking out of the pillar that could be used as a potential ladder.

Sokka began to climb.

* * *

When he reached the roof, he was dazzled by the sunset. Shielding his eyes, Sokka clambered over and sat down on the edge, legs dangling off into the abyss. Sokka would've thought that he was going to be cold, but he was warmly lit by the sun trying to prize the last of its amber limbs over the cliff above. The entire sky was dyed pomegranate pink, the color that farmers look for during harvest. Near the sun, it blazed vermillion and marigold, like the Fire Nation's burnished armor.

Sokka felt sick.

Footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned around, ready to unwelcome the person who'd been sent to calm him down.

It was Toph, standing on the rooftop, her face lit up in the sun's brilliant colors.

But try as he might, Sokka couldn't summon the energy to be mad at Toph. She hadn't done anything. So he let her sit beside him, both silent.

Finally, Toph spoke. "What was that back there?" she queried, curiously, quietly.

Sokka heaved a sigh. "It's just . . . my dad, and everyone else we left behind."

"Oh."

He clenched his fists. "We need to rescue them! We gotta break them out of prison, somehow. How many Fire Nation prisons can there be?"

"Why would you do that?" Toph's voice was hard.

"Huh?"

Strangely, Toph sounded a bit angry. "They gave up their freedom for us so we could be safe. And you just want to break into a guarded Fire Nation prison?"

When she put it like that, Sokka felt guilty. "Oh, um, I wasn't really thinking straight."

"Look at me, Snoozles."

Sokka met her eyes, his cobalt and her milky jade.

"It's _not your fault_." Toph accentuated the last three words by jabbing him in the chest thrice. "It's nobody's fault. I won't let you wallow in self-pity for the next couple of weeks."

Sokka flushed, though he didn't know why. "Um, thanks, Toph."

"You're welcome," she replied. "And now I've down you a favor, I need one in return."

Sokka raised a dark eyebrow. "Shoot."

Toph looked a little bashful, but she nevertheless questioned, "The sun's setting now, isn't it? What does it look like? 'Cause everyone's always going on about how beautiful it is and . . ."

"Say no more. I got this."

Sokka rubbed his hands together, trying to think of a way to describe it. "Er, it's a giant ball of fire dropping beneath the horizon." He imitated an explosion with elaborate hand gestures. "Pew!"

"Spirits, that was terrible!" laughed Toph. "When I asked Katara to describe it, she said, _it's like to be with your favorite person when you are quiet and calm, and you feel content and peaceful inside_." Toph imitated Katara's voice, making it higher and more ear-splitting than it actually was.

Sokka forced out a laugh, but his face felt like it was searing with heat. He put his head in between his knees, trying to get rid of what he was sure was a bright red face.

"Don't you _dare_ tell Katara," Toph added warningly, "But what she said was actually pretty helpful." She nudged Sokka playfully. "Seems like all the poetical talent went to her."

"Ha, ha," said Sokka sarcastically. Opposite them, the sun had faded to a chalky, pale yellow smudge in an obsidian sky.

"Sun's fallen," he informed her. They could hear Katara screeching for them below.

Toph smiled and punched him on the arm, but he could tell it had affection behind it. "That's my cue, Meathead. See ya."

She started to amble off, but Sokka stopped her. He felt alien saying this, but he mumbled, "You're not meant to punch someone you like when you leave!"

"Oh, yeah?" Toph looked bored. "What're you meant to do instead?"

Sokka grinned evilly. "This."

He swooped in and gave her a peck on the cheek. Then Sokka dashed off, leaving Toph scarlet as a tomato behind him.

* * *

 **Well, there you have it. There's a bit of Sokka angst in this chapter, mainly cause I thought that after they lost the battle, Sokka would be pretty cut up about his dad and all. Hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are my lifeblood, so please comment! (:**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Tears

Nightmares plagued Toph while she slept.

It started off with a petrified scream - Katara's. In the dream, it was as pitch black as it was in reality for her, but without any physical ground, Toph couldn't tell what was happening.

"Sokka!" yelled Katara, her voice strained. She kept on calling his name until she broke down, sobbing.

A flash of worry. Toph urgently said to nothing but darkness, "Where is he? What happened?"

"Y-you killed him," stuttered Aang, whose voice had suddenly appeared in the dream. "He's dead."

Panic seized Toph and she felt like all the air had been knocked out of her lungs. "No I didn't!" She searched around wildly, but she was more blind than ever. "Sokka!"

Unidentifiable voices crowded around Toph, reciting a whispered chant. _Traitor_ , they hissed. _Murderer. Traitor. Murderer._

Toph tripped over something large. Relieved to have her sense of touch back, she felt what she had stumbled on.

It was Sokka's body.

Blood bubbled up between Toph's fingers when she tried to staunch Sokka's chest wound, dripping down her fingers in warm streams. Toph felt that her eyes were raw and stinging.

Sokka grasped her arm with cold fingers. "You killed me . . ." he whispered, in obvious pain.

"I didn't, I didn't!"

But Sokka's body faded to nothing and Toph was alone once more. The voices had gone quiet, leaving her in a terrible, dark silence. Sokka's blood still dripped off her fingers . . .

* * *

Gasping like a fish out of water, Toph lurched up out of her sleeping bag. For a few seconds, she tried to get her composure back together and take in her surroundings.

Everyone was asleep. They had left the Western Air Temple about two days ago, and now it was just Toph, Sokka, Aang, Katara and - surprisingly - Zuko. The prince had come to them to apologize and had joined their side. Katara still didn't trust him, but Toph was cool with it.

But now her thoughts were focused fully on Sokka. She weaved around the sleeping bags, until she reached the snoring boy. Toph crouched down and felt his heartbeat through his clothes. It was reassuringly strong, beating against her fingertips with a vital sense of life.

Sokka was safe. He was alive. It was just a dream.

Toph shivered at the memory of Sokka's betrayed voice and his blood leaking over her hands. Trying to force all thoughts of that out of her head, she decided to take a stroll.

Toph walked in the cool night air until the glow of the campfire had nearly faded away. Then she curled up onto the ground - so comfortingly solid for her - and began to quietly sob.

She felt ashamed of herself for giving into her emotions, but it was impossible to hold back the tears. Drops ran down the sides of her face, due to her position, leaking into her ears. Toph's gulps were muffled into her tunic, and she prayed that no one could hear her.

Footsteps. Toph quickly wiped away her tears and tried to act casual.

The steps were too heavy for Aang, and too loud for either Katara or Zuko. That just left one person . . .

"Sokka," sighed Toph. The last person she wanted to see right now.

"Um, hi," came Sokka's familiar voice as he sat down next to her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Meathead," she snapped, fiercely wiping her eyes. "Go back to sleep."

There was an agonizing silence.

"You had a nightmare," Sokka said quietly. "Didn't you?"

The Water Tribe teen was really much smarter than Toph gave him credit for, which annoyed her.

She huffed, turning away from him. "Whatever."

"You're not still mad at me are you?"

Toph had been giving Sokka the cold shoulder recently, since he'd come back from the Boiling Rock. She was half mad because he'd ignored her advice not to go, but mostly because Sokka had come back with _Suki_ in tow. She'd heard from Katara about his old flame, but Suki hadn't seem more real and three-dimensional than a book character. But she had been with them, exchanging moony looks with Sokka, and it had annoyed Toph to no end. It had been hard to squash down her feeling of satisfaction when Suki had gone with Hakoda and the others when they split up when the Air Temple was attacked.

Toph ignored Sokka, and he exhaled exaggeratedly. "How about this: if I tell you a secret, you have to answer me."

"Humph." Toph just grunted in affirmation, but she felt curiosity burn inside her.

She could feel Sokka's shoulders slumping. "Suki and I broke up."

"Oh." She didn't know what she was meant to say to that.

"It was after we'd got back," continued Sokka, "She just came up to me and said that she'd had a lot of time to consider it, and she didn't think we were 'a good match.'"

Toph queried, "Is that why she didn't come with us?"

"Maybe." Sokka let out a bitter half-laugh. "I think she knew that I didn't really feel the same way about her anymore."

"Why?" Now Toph was confused. Sokka _adored_ Suki.

She intuitively knew that Sokka was smirking teasingly. "Maybe I met someone else."

"Good for you." Toph felt a little stab of disappointment. She had imagined Sokka proclaiming his undying love for her, sweeping her up in his arms and kissing her until she felt like her body was floating away. But now he had met someone else . . . was it that irritating Fire Nation gymnast? Since when did being born without bones become attractive?

Okay, maybe it was time to admit she had a _little_ crush on Sokka.

"Your turn." Sokka nudged her. "Did you have a nightmare?"

The words seemed stuck in Toph's throat. "Yeah. I've been having the same nightmare since . . ." She took a deep breath to steel her nerves, "Since the solar eclipse."

Sokka seemed dumbstruck. "That long?"

"Yeah. Yeah." Toph's heart suddenly felt too big for her chest. Why are you saying yeah so much? she thought to herself exasperatedly. "In the dream, I - you -"

Knowing that Sokka's blue, blue eyes would be upon her gave her a burst of confidence. Toph continued, "In the dream, you died."

"Oh."

Toph felt her eyes sting with tears again. "And - and - you say that _I_ killed you, and I -"

She burst into tears again, but this time Sokka's warm arms were around her. Toph hiccuped, embarrassed.

"S-sorry," she mumbled. "I'm just being stupid."

"You don't need to worry," whispered Sokka with surprising gentleness. "I'm here, Toph. I'm here."

Toph hugged him back, and she realized with a smirk that Sokka's heart was racing.

"That's one fast heartbeat you have, Snoozles," she chaffed.

Toph didn't need her sight to know that Sokka was blushing.

* * *

 **I just want to say thank you if you have liked or are following this story.** **It means a lot! (:**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: And I, For You

"Aang cleans up quite nicely, huh?" Sokka said teasingly to Katara.

They were in the palace of Ba Sing Se, at a party in Aang's honor. That was all they had been doing the past week ever since the war ended - going to parties, formal and casual, busy and selective. Occasionally, Zuko gave his Fire Lord duties the slip and came along, but Aang was, of course, always the guest of honor.

The young airbender looked very dignified in his formal wear - deep red robes that opened at the front to reveal the scarlet and gold dress shirt he wore underneath. He wore the same necklace he'd had at Zuko's coronation. Sokka had caught Katara sneaking a bashful glance at Aang, for about the millionth time now.

Katara and Sokka were both dressed in traditional formal Water Tribe wear - her in a flowing royal blue dress, him in a long periwinkle tunic and loose trousers. Sokka wasn't entirely enjoying himself - his shoes were way too small and squashing his toes.

Katara elbowed him. "Ha, ha," she muttered sarcastically at Sokka's earlier comment.

"Ah, come on little sis," jibed Sokka, flinging an arm around her neck. A moony slow song started playing as he spoke. "We all know that you and Aang are dating now. No need to be so so secretive!"

"I swear to the spirits, Sokka, I will -"

"Hey guys!" Aang had arrived. Katara trailed off.

The little monk scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Hey, Katara, I was wondering if you wanted to maybe dance?"

"I'd love to!" beamed Katara ecstatically. She turned to Sokka. "Don't drink my kalenutsco or I will _kill_ you."

Sokka gazed mournfully at kale, walnut and coconut water drink, as Aang led Katara off. Suki was probably here with the other Kyoshi warriors, but even if he did see her, it was going to be more than a bit awkward. Their breakup could've been worse, he guessed, but it still sucked to be dumped. Also, Sokka got the feeling that Suki was trying to avoid him on purpose. But there was no point thinking about that now. You were meant to have _fun_ at parties. But there wasn't anyone he would've liked to ask to dance, except maybe . . .

"'Scuse me?" Sokka asked, turning to the goateed man next to him. "Have you seen a girl anywhere, about -" He held his hand level with his armpit. "That high? Wait -" Sokka quickly rectified it to be slightly lower, "Actually that high."

The man raised his eyebrows and stalked off.

Sokka scuffed his feet grumpily. "Some people are just so -"

Just then, a voice behind him called out, "Looking for me, Snoozles?"

Nothing could have prepared Sokka for this.

Toph stood before him in a dress, which was a phenomenon in itself. Not that she looked bad! - she just looked so _different_. She wore a floor-length pale green dress that clung to her body, a narrow black belt secured around her waist. Her hair was done in its usual style, but a headband studded with white beads was in her dark hair. An emerald silk scarf was loose around her hips and arms. It occurred to Sokka that it was similar to the dress she'd worn when he first met her, except this dress sparkled under the dim lights and had a darker color, and altogether a more mature feel to it. Toph was nearly thirteen now - she was done with childish dresses.

"Toph!" Sokka searched frantically for words. "You, er -"

Toph's hard expression softened. "Good to see you too, moron."

Sokka tried to close his mouth, which had fallen open, but failed miserably. "Y-you, um, look great."

"Smooth," she laughed. Then Toph flushed and added, "You don't look too bad yourself."

Now they were _both_ blushing beet red.

"Toph." Sokka said her name like it was a lifesaver. "I -"

"Just kiss already, you two!" called a girl about their age from across the room.

Sokka's cheeks darkened, impossibly.

"Toph? Sokka?" Aang appeared out of nowhere. "Why is that girl yelling at you?"

Katara was suddenly beside Sokka, a knowing smile on her lips. "Come on, Aang. Let's give them some privacy."

She grabbed Aang's hand and pulled him into the crowd, and they were gone as quickly as they had come.

"Um, you wanna . . ." All Sokka's flirting skills (terrible as they were) had flown straight out the window, "Go outside?" What were you supposed to say to the girl you sorta kinda maybe wanted to kiss, without completely ruining your relationship?

Now Toph was getting awkward, too. "Yeah, sure." She took his hand (which made Sokka blush all over again) and led him to the double doors.

The cool air was a huge relief to his hot cheeks. Sokka sucked in a breath. Now all he had to do was look Toph in the eye.

But Toph seemed to be having trouble making eye contact, too. "Hey. I got you something."

She proffered a long package from behind her back. Sokka took it, feeling hard, angular objects beneath his fingers. He unwrapped it . . . and his meteor sword and boomerang fell out. Up till now, Sokka'd thought he'd lost them forever when he was saving their lives, back when they were taking down the airships.

"Went back to Wulong Forest," explained Toph, as Sokka ecstatically cradled his beloved weapons in his arms. "Bit of earthbending, and some help from Sweetness, and I managed to get them back!" She preened herself.

"My babies!" Sokka kissed his boomerang and retched at the bad taste. Then he gave Toph a huge hug, so tight that he felt his ribs were breaking. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Toph smiled up at him, flushing carmine.

"Look, Sokka," she rambled, suddenly changing the subject. Sokka glanced up from his weapons. He got the feeling that Toph had been plucking up the courage to say this for awhile, and that he should listen. "I know you're probably still hung up over Suki, and you don't like me that way and whatever. But, I've liked you - for a really long time, and I think I've fallen for you."

Toph winced, probably unused to saying that sort of stuff. "Urgh. Sorry, that was so cheesy -"

She was cut off because Sokka had leaned down to kiss her.

A few people passing by gave them odd glances, but quickly dismissed them as random horny teenagers.

Even though Toph was standing on her tiptoes, Sokka still had to bend down to kiss her properly. Her hands were loose around his neck, and their kiss was so firm, so certain.

"Toph . . . Sokka?"

They broke apart to see Zuko, scarlet with embarrassment, staring at them.

"Oh, Zuko!"

"I'm just gonna be -" Zuko wordlessly indicated the doors and dashed away.

Sokka grinned down at Toph. "Now, where were we?"

"Stop being sappy and just kiss me, Meathead," she sighed, pressing her lips against his again.

And they both kiss, because this is a cliché love story and that is how cliché love stories are supposed to end.

* * *

 **The end (: I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it (I'm a major Tokka shipper). This was actually my first fic that wasn't a oneshot, so ... yeah! *awkwardly sidles away***


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